Measurement Techniques for Biological Applications

We develop various measurement techniques to probe forces in biological specimens properly. Optical tweezers are used to generate a force in the order of pN which is relevant to force produced in single molecular events such as antibody-antigen binding and protein unfolding. Traction Force Microscopy (TFM) combined with the patterning technique is advantageous in studying the force generation for shaped-controlled cells. We are able to characterize mechanical properties of tissues using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and rheometry.